A Libertarian
Posted by John Flanagan on Sunday, September 6, 2009
William J. Brennan (1906 – 1997) The Libertarian
In Memory of Senator Edward M. Kennedy ,Posted by John Flanagan on Sunday, September 6, 2009
New Jersey Supreme Court Judge William J. Brennan was appointed by
President Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower to the United States Supreme
Court in 1956. Judge Brennan replaced Justice Sherman Minton and served
the Court until David Souter followed him in 1990. Judge Brennan was
an integral part of the Supreme Court’s libertarian wing during the
Warren Court era 1953–1969. This Court’s rulings addressed
such issues as school desegregation, separation of church and state,
and freedom of expression. And a libertarian would tend to favor the
individual in any conflict with the government; would tend to favor
state governments over the federal government and tend to favor the
legislature over the executive. Judge interpreted the Bill of Rights
and the Civil War amendments for landmark speech and press cases and
held a great dedication to the freedoms of the First Amendment. He was
perhaps the most devout anti-establishmentarian of the Court who
championed for the rights of the free exercise of religion, promoting
the absolute separation of Church and State. And with equal consistency
he resorted to judicial policy-making, and to judicial legislating to
become the watchdog advocate on the egalitarian front for matters of
race and gender equality. He would more often than not succeed in
finding a fifth vote to provide victory for claims of invidious
discrimination, even to the extent of embracing racial – quotas –
giving rise to allegations of him supporting ‘reverse
discrimination.’” He was especial known for being the intellectual
leader of the movement towards expanded individual and civil rights,
Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court William Brennan
fundamentally changed the High Court’s approach toward understanding
the United States Constitution.
Waiting For A Friend